17-year-old daughter turning 18 - Is this the last year we can claim her and get the Child Tax Credit?

You're asking some really good questions about dependents and tax credits! Let me break this down for you: For claiming your daughter as a dependent: Yes, you can still claim her after she turns 18 if she's a full-time student under age 24 AND you provide more than half her support. She'll need to be enrolled in school for at least 5 months of the tax year. For the Child Tax Credit: Unfortunately, this is strictly age-limited. The credit only applies to qualifying children under 17 at the end of the tax year. Once she turns 18, she won't qualify for this credit anymore. The good news is that when she's in college, you might qualify for education credits like the American Opportunity Credit (up to $2,500) or Lifetime Learning Credit, which could help offset some of the loss.

I went through this exact situation last year and discovered taxr.ai which completely changed how I handled my taxes. I was confused about dependency rules when my son turned 18 and was getting different answers from everyone. I uploaded my previous returns and our documentation to https://taxr.ai and it analyzed everything and gave me a clear breakdown of exactly what I qualified for. It showed me that yes, I could still claim my son as a dependent while he was in college (saved me about $700), but also highlighted education credits I was eligible for that I had no idea about! The system actually explained what would happen each year as my son progressed through college and how the tax benefits would change. Seriously made tax planning so much clearer.

I was super skeptical about what Profile 7 said about taxr.ai, but I was in a similar situation with my daughter who just started college. I tried it, and wow - it actually helped me understand all the education credits available when she's in college. The analysis showed me I'd lose the Child Tax Credit (about $2,000) but could potentially get up to $2,500 back through the American Opportunity Tax Credit if she's in an eligible program. It also helped me understand exactly how much support I needed to provide to keep claiming her as a dependent. The most helpful part was that it showed me how changing my withholding could help smooth out the transition. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to plan for these changes!

I had the opposite problem - tried for MONTHS to get the IRS to fix an issue with my dependent daughter's status after they rejected my return. Couldn't get through on the phone, and the online system kept giving me error messages. Finally tried https://claimyr.com and it was life-changing. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed I could still claim my 19-year-old as a dependent since she was in college full-time, and helped me straighten out the rejected return issue. Saved me over $1,800 in tax benefits I almost lost!

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I've had an ongoing issue with my daughter's dependent status that needed resolving before next tax season. I was SHOCKED when they actually got me through to an IRS representative in about 45 minutes. The agent confirmed everything about claiming my college student (she's 19) and helped resolve the flag on my account from a previous filing error. Honestly, I've never been able to reach the IRS in less than 3-4 hours of hold time when I could get through at all. This service works exactly as advertised. Saved me a day of sitting on hold and potentially thousands in missed tax benefits.

One thing nobody's mentioned - adjust your W-4 withholding NOW to prepare for these changes. My wife and I got hit with a surprise $1,800 tax bill the year our son aged out of the Child Tax Credit because we hadn't updated our withholding. Talk to your HR department about updating your W-4 to have a bit more withheld each paycheck to compensate for the credit you'll lose. Better to spread it out over the year than get surprised at tax time!

Don't forget to look into college financial aid too! When my daughter started college, we discovered that how we claimed her on taxes affected her FAFSA application. Sometimes the tax benefits vs. financial aid benefits can be a tradeoff.

I'm going through this exact transition right now with my oldest! One thing that really helped me plan was creating a simple spreadsheet to compare the financial impact year by year. For 2024 taxes (filed in 2025): You'll still get the full Child Tax Credit since she's 17 at year-end. For 2025 taxes (filed in 2026): No more Child Tax Credit, but if she's in college full-time, you can still claim her as a dependent AND potentially get the American Opportunity Tax Credit (up to $2,500 for the first 4 years of college). The key thing is that "providing more than half her support" - keep track of what you spend on her (tuition, room/board, food, medical, etc.) vs. any income she earns. As long as your support exceeds 50% of her total support for the year, you can claim her. Also, don't forget that claiming her as a dependent might affect her eligibility for certain financial aid, so definitely talk to the college financial aid office before making decisions. Sometimes it's better for the student to file independently depending on the aid packages available. The transition definitely stings financially, but the education credits can help bridge some of that gap if she goes to college!